Early Lessons Paying Dividends for Lions' Capone

When David Capone stepped onto the varsity wrestling mat for his first dual meet as a freshman for Cherry Hill West, he had the unenviable task of taking on opponent bigger than he was.

Much bigger.

“I wrestled at 215 and I was 169 pounds,” Capone said with a grin. “That was my first impression of high school. That was a little bit of a shock.”

Capone looked much more at home Wednesday night when he recorded a second-period pin against Timber Creek’s Kashon Gordon in the 195-pound weight class. Capone, who is now in his natural weight class, used a combination of strength and agility to take Gordon down to the mat and pin his shoulders down.

A couple of years ago, the chances of him overpowering an opponent were slim.

“Going through that, I learned it’s really about just working hard, practicing over and over again and wanting to win,” Capone said. “You just have to go after it.”

West head coach Zach Semar lauded Capone’s work ethic and his ability to make the best of a difficult circumstance early in his career.

“In the last two years, he has really started to fill into his body and his strength is now equal to everyone else out there,” said Semar. “He puts in some hard work in the practice room and it is starting to pay off.”

Capone was one of just three victories for the Lions Wednesday night, as Timber Creek took out some aggression after being upset by Shawnee last week.

Recording a win against a wrestler from one of South Jersey’s top teams is no small feat, and Capone is hoping it helps propel him to the next level.

“It’s pretty great,” said Capone, who has won five-straight. “I have been working hard, and this is a confidence booster and hopefully it helps me get more wins this season.”

At 14-6, Capone has placed himself in the conversation of top 195-pounders in the district. He also has his eyes set on placing his name on a banner in the West gymnasium.

“I really want to make the sixty-win club,” said Capone, who notched his 44^th win. “That has been my goal since freshman year.”

Despite the loss, West (10-6) has done enough to be on the fringe of the Group 3 playoff picture. The Lions know they cannot afford a slip-up this weekend in a quad match.

“We want to put ourselves in position to make the playoffs and we have a tough quad coming up Saturday,” Semar said. “We have Haddon Heights, Nottingham and Robbinsville, so we would like to go in there and be competitive. If we could win all three, then that would be great.”